The Great Storm
by WeAreTheCrystalGays
Summary: From an undercover romance to Inkoplois' #1 Power Couple, Off The Hook starts what should've been done a century ago.
1. Chapter 1

**The Great Storm**

 **Guess who's gotten knee deep into Splatoon? (its me) Guess who fell in love with the new duo? (still me) Guess who thinks they're gay (not just me eyyyyy I know you guys are everywhere!)**

 **Quick shout out to some folks on tumblr who helped inspire this**

 **beanapocalypse (who makes some quality art so go follow them please, they deserve it! Also allowed me to meet some quality people, and geeked out with all of us)**

 **the-kings-vengeance (a total nerd but one heck of cool person who geeked out with me and has therefore earned my respect)**

 **rabbitpxl (a fellow writer and a huge motivator for this, so go follow them too! Also geeked out with me)**

 **refroste (once again, geeked out with me and humored my puns, also a motivator to this story as well)**

 **SO LETS GET THIS DUMPSTER FIRE BURNING!**

The crowd roared while the two idols performed, dancing and smiling for the world to see. The fans had endured a freak thunderstorm just to see Off The Hook perform, and the rain didn't stop them at all even as it hammered on their t-shirts and faces. Inklings with soggy clothes danced to the beat and sung back the lyrics with the duo, a symbiotic rhythm forming with the rain as they did so.

The stage that the idols danced upon was sheltered from the storm's wrath, but when the wind forced the rain to change direction, the front of the domed structure was soaked in seconds. No equipment was damaged or at risk of being soaked, but the peppy Inkling who bounced around the stage was unaware of how slippery the floor was when she bounded through the small puddles. Music distracted her from her friend's warning, and suddenly, her feet slipped out from under her, falling off the stage and onto the ground below with a resounding SMACK! while the audience grimaced, shrieked, and gasped all in one breath. The Octoling behind the keyboards and soundboards shouted to her friend, but got no answer.

The music was halted as and the audience grew deftly quiet as the Inkling simply stayed on the ground, groaning in pain and struggling to get her breath back. Her friend was at her side after leaping down from the stage, struggling to pull the rapper from the floor, but the sopping wet mud made her shoes sink and she lost her balance and toppled over, as well. Embarrassment at her fall made her cheeks burn, even with the cold mud splattering her face and clothes, she felt her entire body warm up. The fallen rapper looked at her and was giggling and smiling, forgetting for the moment that she too had fallen, even a farther and arguably more painful distance.

Pearl had dried mud all over her, staining her white coat a dingy brown, but she was staring and giggling at Marina, who wiped the mud off of her tentacles with a towel, wearing an angry look and huffing about the situation.

"I can not believe you fell off the stage!" The Octoling cried, staring at her friend through the mirror in the backstage area. The concert had been over for an hour, and like champions, Off The Hook had performed covered in mud and a little beat up. It was going to be all over the news for the next few days, but had they abandoned the concert over a few minor injuries and a bit of hurt pride, that'd be the end of them.

"I can't believe you jumped down after me." Pearl said, taking a small bagel from the nearby tray of confectionaries. A strawberry bagel with small white sprinkles in it, just as she had asked for. She took a bite as she looked at the bandage on her arm. The fall had unfortunately taken place right where a few sharp rocks had been, and she'd gotten a pretty bad set of cuts on her arm. The antiseptic that the on-hand paramedics had to use hurt more than the actual fall did, and they told that she'd be fine, but her pride was still a bit sore.

Marina sighed as she placed the dirty towel down and looked at her friend with a small smile on her lips.

"As if I wouldn't come to your rescue, princess." Pearl nearly choked on the bagel.

Two stage hands had been in ear-shot and looked at them both with confused expressions, but they'd simply chalked up the comment to playful teasing and went on their way. When they were out of ear-shot, Pearl tossed the remainder of the bagel at the Octoling, just barely missing her leg.

"Marina, we can't do the thing here, it's a secret remember?!" She whispered/hissed as best she could with food still in her mouth. She just stuck her tongue out to retort, which made Pearl stand up from her chair. The Octoling laughed, seeing their difference in height again and how the Inkling puffed herself up to try and look bigger.

The taller girl suddenly took a more dismal expression and her eyebrows furrowed as she stared blankly at the ground. This made Pearl get worried a bit, and she walked up and held her hand, pulling her attention away from the floor.

"We'll tell the world when we're ready, okay? And if anyone has an issue with it, I'll… I'll punch them in the mouth!" Pearl stated with confidence, and her breath smelled of the strawberry bagel she had just taken a bite of. Marina smiled and kissed the Inkling's forehead quickly, hoping no one saw them.

Their relationship had been hidden for a few months now, and every time they were near each other anymore, it took everything Marina had not to shout their status to the world. She was tired of hiding it, but tired of the slander she faced for even being with Pearl as Off The Hook. Octarians were hated in general, so one being famous made many Inklings disgusted. The storm that would form from an Inkling and Octoling dating would be immense.

"Pearl..." Those adorable golden eyes stared up at her. "I'm scared Pearl…" She gently hugged the Inkling, resting her face against her head, eyes closed and body trembling. Pearl hugged her in return, trying to calm her down before one of her famous panic attacks set in.

"I know," she mumbled softly, "I know." What could she say anymore? The idea to keep the relationship hidden was Pearl's, and she hated seeing her girlfriend cry and live in fear everyday of life. Empty threats hinting at violence had been made towards the group ever since they debuted, but what they truly meant to one another kept them together.

"Pearlie," she used that dorkish pet name with full sincerity but also with a quivering voice. Pearl's hand rubbed small circles on the other's back, skin cool to the touch, but somehow on fire all at the same time. Her fingers brushed at the fabric of Marina's jacket, and this caused the Octoling to shudder out a breath.

"'Rina, we're never going to give in to fear, okay? Never." She stated firmly, snuggling into the taller girl's chest.

"Never." She repeated, wrapping her arms tighter around the rapper's shoulders, and planting another quick kiss on her head.

She didn't realize how tightly she'd been hugging Pearl, until the latter squeaked when her arm flared up in pain. The spot still ached and was extremely sensitive to any kind of touch, but that was a small price to pay for some quality hugging. Especially hugs from Marina.

Pearl adored Marina's hugs. They were calming and sweet, but never suffocating, but if Marina was freaked out, they were rougher and more a way for her to ground herself, but they were still pretty great and that was what made them worth getting crushed for. The Octoling would fight tooth-and-nail to say that her girlfriend's hugs were better, as they were warm and soft, just as gentle as how Pearl herself could be.

They both needed each other when they were at their worst, and that happened far too often these days. With Pearl fighting battles that were not hers to fight, and with Marina's self confidence flailing like a leaf in a hurricane, they needed each other to keep going. That was how they realized they needed the other as badly as they did.

"What do we do if our fans turn on us?" Marina had mumbled.

"If they do, we run as far away as we can and never come back." Pearl had replied, not moving from the warmth of her significant other's chest.

She could hear the Octoling's breath shudder in her lungs, and she could feel her heart beating fast. She didn't want to move, and by everything sweet in the world, she just wanted to inhale the intoxicating perfume Marina wore forever and forever beyond that.

The nervous singer didn't want to budge, either. She'd made her peace with the situation, but kept finding reasons to keep the Inkling in her space, even refusing to let her back away when someone walked past. Her arms still draped loosely over the short Squid's shoulders, being mindful of the injured and sensitive arm. Her fingers traced over the still-clean parts of the dingy coat, her nails dipping into the seam lines and gently running over the pillow-like pattern on the shoulder. She smelled of sweat, dirt, and sugar so sweet that it made Marina sigh.

"You need a shower." She mused, scrapping off some dirt from the coat.

"Make me." Pearl dared, a sly grin forming on her face. Marina took the challenge and scooped the Inkling off of her feet, making her cling to the taller girl out of reflex. Pearl then realized she'd been tricked.

"HEY!"

 ***fans self* HOPE THAT WAS GAY ENOUGH FOR YOU**

 **(might also do more sappholopods if I feel this fic got enough praise… so if you want to see more… frickin show this thing some love!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Great Storm**

 **Chapter 2: Catching A Cold**

 **Sappholopods pt2! Can Inklings and/or Octolings even get sick? They are literally just made of ink so… maybe not? I dunno, but someone is getting sick for this chapter and the other is going to play caretaker. Wanna take a guess on who is who?**

 **Also, SERIOUS shoutouts to everyone who has thus far commented, liked, faved, followed, or shared this story! All of that has motivated me to keep going! And as someone who, not only lacks proper self-esteem, but also craves validation 24/7 that means a helluva lot to me! So for real, thank you everyone!**

It had been a day or so since the concert in the rain, and the two idols had been relaxing in their woomy- _roomy_ apartment since then. It smelled of old pizza and dirty laundry, as the pair had been so busy making and producing their music that they'd neglected their living space.

Entering through the door, the well-sized kitchen sat to the immediate left of the front door. Plates, cups, bowls, silverware, and even a pot or two sat stacked in sink, obviously having been there for at least a week due to the sticky (possibly alive) substance covering the dishware. A very ignored chore wheel hanging on the fridge, labeled with the little octopus and squid symbols, said that this day was Marina's day to do the dishes and Pearl was supposed to handle the garbage and clean out the fridge. No one had bothered to rewrite the smudged letters, and so it read like a elementary school spelling test instead, with misspelled names and incomplete chores.

The tiles were dingy, in need of a mop and soapy water tag-team, possibly a bleach nuke to kill everything bacterial, as well… just to be sure. The solid black fridge stood by the matching oven with pictures, notes, and coupons tacked on it with magnets of different brands, including a Squid Sisters magnet set featuring the duo's hats and symbols (which were totally not the result of an impulse buy from Pearl). Cabinets with shiny knobs sat still, until one was opened to retrieve a plate. A lone pan filled with something sat on the electric stovetop, and as soon as it threatened to burn, the burner was shut off and the pan moved onto an oven mitt to cool down.

The living room, which sat on the same side as the kitchen, sported a comfy-looking magenta sofa and next to a mint green chair with a matching footstool. A small coffee table was placed before the sofa, with a set of bowls holding small plants. A keyboard was stored behind the chair, along with several scraps of paper, a laptop, and a few pencils. The couch had more paper hidden underneath it, along with a soda can and a paper plate placed over another laptop. Surely the place where a few hits had been churned out, a few movies had been watched, and quite a few off-days had been spent staring at the blank ceiling. Pictures of family, friends, and random bits of scenery adorned the walls, and some motivational plaque hung over the hallway.

" _Never forget your roots, lest the tree be weak"_

The hallway led to 4 rooms, which included a bathroom, two bedrooms, and a small laundry/storage room. Pearl's bedroom door was covered in stickers from various other bands, a street sign (probably ripped from its posting), and a single large sticker with cute glittery letters asking for the person at the door to knock before entering. Most importantly, the door was closed and not even a sliver of light shone from under the door.

Marina's door, which was also covered in stickers from bands she liked, had several excerpts of lyrics written in tiny print all over it. Some she had come to her suddenly and were in the works, and others were just jokes from their already-out songs. One of the newest ones was labeled "Possible new single?" in her handwriting with Pearl's messier handwriting under it saying "heck yeah!" with a little thumbs up drawn with it.

And unlike Pearl's door, Marina's door was open and it showed an extremely straight and spacious room, as if it was freshly cleaned and organized. Marina's bed sat in the corner, by the bigger of the two available windows. It was a queen-sized bed, with a gradient bed spread that was (unsurprisingly) black to green in color. The foot and head boards were wood, and carved to look like two symmetrical ocean waves, one going left and the other right. A medium dresser sat at the foot of the bed, being made of the same wood. A closet door sat shut with a shoe rack situated next to it. Light green drapes were pulled back to let some light shine through the windows, letting the overhead light take a break. A stereo system sat on the dresser, along with several albums from various groups of various genres. A small desk sat alone against the wall that was shared by the door, along with its rolling chair. Papers were strewn across it, along with a blank mug holding several pens.

The Octarian was busy pressing an ear against her friend's door. She heard the soft sound of sniffling and gently cracked the door open. Unlike her room, Pearl's was a bit of a mess. A hot-pink guitar sat propped against the queen bed in the middle of the room, with its amp wheeled up next to it and being used as an impromptu night-stand. Boots were haphazardly chucked across the floor, as if they'd been kicked off and forgotten about. A single sock was draped over the footboard of the bed, the other pair somehow stuck into the vent that was on the ceiling. A white wood armoire sat perpendicular to the bed, its doors loosely shut, allowing the little amount of light there was to bounce off the mirror that was hidden inside. It was a mess.

"Pearl, its 9:30." Said Marina, earning a grunt and a glare from the Inkling under the heavy blankets. Looking closer, the Octoling could see that Pearl was shivering under the blankets, despite the room actually being slightly warm. She was also wearing a thick long-sleeved sweatshirt, which was weird because they weren't her normal pajamas. This made her slowly enter, closing the door behind her. The darkness of the room swallowed them both up, which Pearl was thankful for. The light made her eyes burn, and her head felt like hell. Actually, her entire body felt like hell. Moving at all made her groan and curl up into a ball. She was also so cold that she had to stay curled up or she'd freeze, but her skin felt hot if she touched it. Breathing was hard and labored, but sucking down air only made her dry throat hurt wosrse. She felt like she was dying. Lucky for her, an angel showed up.

She watched her friend slowly tip-toe over to her, and sit on the bed.

"Pearl, are you feeling okay? You look super pale." The worried tone and equally worried expression made Pearl feel a bit guilty. She laughed super weakly and snuggled into her blankets more.

"F-Fine, just feelin' lazy today, ya'know?" She tried to lie through her beak, but Marina furrowed her eyebrows and placed a hand on her sweaty forehead, but nearly pulled it away after just a second or so. Oh god, Pearl thought, here we go.

"Holy carp, you're literally baking alive." The Octoling went wide-eyed and leaned against the bed for a moment before hopping up to fetch something, muttering a "be right back". Pearl just sighed and shut her eyes, hoping that her headache would calm itself down. It felt like hours had passed when Marina came back holding a cup of ice water and something clenched in her fist, and a very thick blanket tossed over her shoulder.

She set the blanket down at the foot of Pearl's bed and placed the cup on the "side table". With immense effort, the Inkling sat up, shivering violently as soon as the blankets were no longer covering her, and moaning in pain as her body protested all of the movement. Marina put a few pills into Pearl's hand, and she stared at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Something for the fever, and the other is a pain reliever," she explained, handing the cup to her friend. She downed the pills, nearly chugging the water to chase off the disgusting taste of the medicine as it brushed her tongue. Marina smiled softly and placed her hand over her girlfriend's, lightly shaking her head.

"I'll call Steven and let him know that we won't be coming in today." She continued, gaining a surprised look.

"We? I think you mean me…"

"I know what I said."

Pearl blinked and then furrowed her eyebrows. Unbelievable, she thought, unbelievable! Marina wasn't sick, so why was she staying? She didn't have to play nursemaid, so she could just go and handle it alone, right? After all, that charity event would be a pain to reschedule.

"Pearl, I'm stayin' here to make sure you rest," Marina continued, knowing at the look she was getting was one demanding an explanation, "and we both know that you're stubborn."

Okay, the Inkling mused, she's got a point.

"So, what, you gonna play nurse to me, sugar beak?" She joked, making herself laugh. The Octoling rolled her eyes and turned around to go get something else, but made a sly joke in retaliation.

"I'm gonna do something, alright."

It had been a few hours, and snapping awake, Pearl realized slowly that she'd fallen asleep. She'd begun to wonder if the medicine she'd been given was responsible when she felt something shift next to her. A soft snore made her ears twitch, and looking over she saw Marina snuggled up to her. A peaceful expression on her face, she snoozed blissfully next to her girlfriend. One could argue that Marina had been more exhausted, as Pearl scanned the room and noticed that it was clean. No, more than clean… it was _spotless_. Marina, she thought, you god damn neat freak.

The Inkling smiled and sat for a long time, just admiring the way the Octoling looked when she was asleep. The ghost of a smile on her lips, the softness of her face… everything made her seem so angelic and calm. Pearl smiled and began to move to place a light kiss on the other's forehead but stopped and bit her lip. Still sick ya big dummy, don't wanna pass it along.

Instead, she wrapped an arm around her girlfriend and pulled her close. The heat she gave off was incredibly inviting and comforting, and Pearl took full advantage of it. Snuggling into the nape of her neck, the Inkling started to drift off back into sleep, unaware of the grin that had formed on Marina's face.

The Octoling smugly looked down at the now-sleeping Pearl and mused at the preceding events. Pearl hadn't noticed that Marina had in fact been awake the entire time, and wasn't aware that Marina was actually not going to get sick from something as small as a kiss. Octarians were naturally resistant against illness or disease, but constant exposure (like constantly snuggling and breathing of the same air for a few long hours) would probably weaken their immune systems enough to actually catch something.

Not thinking of the consequences, Marina planted a little kiss on the Squid's forehead and snuggled back into the blankets, cradling her girlfriend as gently as she could. Sleep found them both fairly quickly, but Marina took a lot longer to sleep. Her thoughts were occupied by the sounds of the smaller girl's wheezing breaths, and it made her heart ache. She wanted to do more, and that thought was the last one she had before she shut her eyes. Well, right after she stifled a sneeze.

 **Okay, this was supposed to be longer but I can't move past this point. I cannot find a way to keep this going. Like, at all. I take suggestions at my tumblr blog homestuckorbust, so come on in and drop me a suggestion. ANYWAY MOVING ON TO CH3, or as im gonna call it…. Dinner date :3**


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